Davy Process Technology Limited

Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited

Simon Nicholas Tilley

Michael William Marshall Tuck

Robert Wild

Rikard Umberto Andersson

Andrew George Hiles

David John Watson

Graham Reed

Paul Gordon

John Swinney

Adrian Francis Backes

David J Watson

Rickard Umberto Andersson

Paul John Cassidy

Michael William Tuck

A method for treating a crude natural gas feed stream comprising methane and having a first carbon dioxide concentration, said method comprising the steps of: subjecting the crude natural gas feed stream to a separation process to provide: a purified natural gas stream having a second carbon dioxide content which is lower than the first carbon dioxide concentration in said crude natural gas stream; and, a carbon dioxide stream comprising carbon dioxide as the major component and methane; recovering the purified natural gas steam; optionally mixing the carbon dioxide stream with make-up methane and/or make-up air; passing the carbon dioxide stream and optional make-up methane or air through a heat exchanger to raise the temperature of the stream to the desired inlet temperature Tof an oxidation reactor; optionally mixing the carbon dioxide stream with make-up methane and/or make-up air; passing the heated stream from step (d) and any optional make-up methane and/or air to the oxidation reactor containing an oxidation catalyst, where the methane is oxidised; removing a gas stream including the products of the oxidation reaction from the reactor, said gas stream being at an outlet temperature Twhich is higher than the inlet temperature T; passing the gas stream removed in step (g) through the heat exchanger against the carbon dioxide stream from step (a) to allow the heat to be recovered from the gas stream removed in step (g) and utilised to heat the carbon dioxide stream in step (d); and measuring the outlet temperature Tand controlling the inlet temperature Tby adjusting the amount of make-up methane and/or air added in step (c) and/or step (e).

Process for removing COfrom crude natural gas

In a process for the production of dialkyl succinate from a feedstock comprising maleic anhydride, feed in the liquid phase is provided to a reactor operated at a temperature of at least about 150&#xb0; C. The feed is contacted with hydrogen at a pressure of at least about 300 psig in the presence of an acid tolerant catalyst and an alkanol wherein at least some of the carbon carbon double bonds of the maleic anhydride are hydrogenated to form succinic acid and that the heat generated promotes esterification to dialkyl succinate in situ. A stream of dialkyl succinate is recovered from the reactor.

Process for the production of dialkyl succinate from maleic anyhdride

In a process for producing fatty alcohol, fatty acid is subjected to esterification with a lower alkanol to form a stream of lower alkyl fatty acid ester(s). The stream is vaporized and then subjected to hydrogenation. The stream is then subjected to transesterification in a wax ester reactor to convert at least a portion of the lower alkyl fatty acid ester(s) to lower alkanol and wax ester(s). The resulting stream is then separated to yield a fatty alcohol(s) steam, a wax ester(s) stream, and an overhead stream comprising fatty alkanol(s) and alkane. The overhead stream is reacted in a wax ester reactor to convert at least a portion of the lower alkyl fatty acid ester to lower alkanol and wax ester(s). The wax ester(s) formed from the alkane is separated, along with any water and/or lower alkanol present.

Process for the production of a fatty alcohol from a fatty acid

In a process for producing anhydrides in a tubular reactor, gaseous reactants are passed downwardly through at least one reactor tube to a catalyst carrier where they pass into a passage defined by an inner perforated wall of a catalyst container before passing radially through the catalyst bed towards a perforated outer container wall. The reaction occurs as gas contacts the catalyst. Unreacted reactant and product exits the container though the perforated outer wall and then upwardly between an inner surface of a container skirt and the outer wall of the container and then over the end of the skirt and caused to flow downwardly between the outer surface of the skirt and the inner surface of the reactor tube where heat transfer takes place. These steps are repeated at any subsequent catalyst carrier product is then removed from the reactor outlet.

Process for the production of anhydrides

A process for the removal of hydroxypropane from a crude product stream from the hydrogenation of glycerol, the crude product stream comprising 1,2-propanediol and hydroxypropanone as impurity, the process comprising: (a) where required condensing the crude product stream; and (b) contacting the crude product phase in the liquid phase with a stream of a hydrogen-containing gas in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst at suitable temperatures and pressures such that hydroxypropanone present in the crude product stream is converted to the desired propanediol.

Process for the production of 1,2-propanediol

A process for hydrogenation of glycerol in which a feed comprising glycerol is contacted with a stream of a hydrogen-containing gas and subjected to hydrogenation in the vapour phase in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature of from about 160&#xb0; C. to about 260&#xb0; C., a pressure of from about 10 to about 30 bar, a hydrogen to glycerol ratio of from 400:1 to about 600:1 and a residence time of from about 0.01 to about 2.5 secs.

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Thronaby, United Kingdom

Simon Nicholas Tilley